US 12,228,348 B2
Plate heat exchanger, and a method of manufacturing a plate heat exchanger
Jens Romlund, Helsingborg (SE)
Assigned to ALFA LAVAL CORPORATE AB, Lund (SE)
Appl. No. 17/612,730
Filed by ALFA LAVAL CORPORATE AB, Lund (SE)
PCT Filed May 8, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/062863
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 19, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/234006, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 26, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 1950601-3 (SE), filed on May 21, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0236016 A1, Jul. 28, 2022
Int. Cl. F28D 9/00 (2006.01); F28F 3/04 (2006.01); F28F 9/02 (2006.01)
CPC F28D 9/005 (2013.01) [F28F 3/046 (2013.01); F28F 9/0229 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A plate heat exchanger comprising a plurality of plates arranged beside each other to form a plate package, each plate comprising
a central area extending in parallel with an extension plane of the plate and comprising a corrugation of ridges and valleys, wherein the corrugation extends between an upper level at a distance from the main extension plane and a lower level at a distance from and on an opposite side of the main extension plane so that the ridges extend to the upper level and the valleys to the lower level,
an edge area extending around the central area, and
four porthole areas, each of the four porthole areas comprising an annular flat area, wherein the annular flat area is located at one of the upper level and the lower level,
wherein the plates comprise heat exchanger plates and at least a first end plate provided outside and adjoining an outermost one of the heat exchanger plates in the plate package,
wherein each of the heat exchanger plates comprises four portholes extending through a respective one of the porthole areas, and
wherein each of the porthole areas of the first end plate is closed by means of a plate portion surrounded by the annular flat area,
wherein
each porthole of the heat exchanger plates is defined by a porthole edge formed by the annular flat area,
each of the porthole areas of the first end plate comprises a number of protrusions arranged on and projecting from the annular flat area to one of the lower level and the upper level, and
each of the protrusions of the first end plate, that project to the upper level, abuts the annular flat area of the adjoining outermost heat exchanger plate.